| Tovit's profileAdventures in Costa RicaPhotosBlogLists |  Tools  Help |
Adventures in Costa RicaBut sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you....1 Peter 3:15 November 30 More adjustedAnd behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. Revelation 22:12 Brian and I have settled in to living in Costa Rica. Brian is still running the office and working on his CNC machine, while I am teaching English. We live in a nice neighborhood called Rohrmoser which is not far from Downtown San Jose. I take the bus to work every day. The bus system is pretty good and very affordable. Brian bought a car and drives to work as well as to customer visits. People out here are generally very friendly, but there is a problem with crime out here and you have to keep your eyes open for the bad guys. We attend a Christian and Missionary Alliance church located on the other side of town. Gabriel goes there, too, along with his parents. The chuch in Costa Rica is pretty strong. For example, we have members in our church who have served in Uzbekistan and Nepal, as well as serve the poor neighborhoods in San Jose. It's very edifiying and encouraging. Brian's parents, sister, and family friends the Kerns came and visited us in November. We had a really great time. Carol, my mother-in-law, actually had a butterfly land on her! While that may not sound very exciting it was quite an adrenaline rush for all who were present. But we had many other adventures, too. It was great to have family around. Speaking of family, we are visiting the US from December 13th to December 29th. I am very excited to see my family and my country as it has been more than a year since we have been there. Also, my brother is getting married! So there are many good things happening. Most of all, we are looking forward to when Jesus comes back. Merry Christmas! May 01 Winding DownProverbs 16:9 A man's heart plans his way but the Lord directs his steps. The Lord gave me this verse before I came to Managua, and it's amazing to look back and see how the Lord has been faithful to direct and guide us in ministry as well as our personal lives. I know that we can both say that we have grown a lot, have had to face our own weaknesses and overcome discouragement. Over the last few months, we have been preparing to leave Calvary Chapel Managua and move to San Jose, Costa Rica. Brian has Roger, our accountant, running the bakery and we have someone else who can handle maintenance. Also, the youth study on Wednesday nights is going to be led by Ramon, a member of our church. I have been blessed to see some great changes in our school with classroom discipline. We also have started an after school tutoring program to help some of the kids who are falling behind. There is another missionary coming here from Florida named Jessica, and she will be here to help manage things. So it's a time for change, but we trust that God is in control. Once we arrive in Costa Rica, Brian will begin working with his former employer, HAAS, and starting his business. I will be helping him out with whatever that involves. It's sad to say goodbye in some ways, but we are excited about the door the Lord has opened for us. God has been faithful to take care of us and guide us through the part of our lives that we lived here in Managua. So we praise Him for that, and take the next step that He has shown us to take. January 06 Old Friends and New AdventuresGalatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Since our return to Nicaragua in October, we have had teams come from both of our home churches! The day we arrived in Managua, a group of 13 people came from Calvary Chapel Pasadena. Then in early December, a team of 5 people came from CC Camarillo. The Pasadena team brought some dentists, and we did a lot of evangelism. As usual, Pastor Tony was attracting a lot of attention with his arsenal of water balloons. The Camarillo did a lot of outreach, too, plus a lot of work on our school. The school is on vacation right now, so we have been painting the classrooms and tiling the floors where it is needed. Unfortunately, the girls in our orphanage have been causing problems, again. Some of you may know that they stole from Tracey back in September. We had to discipline the girls, explained to them why stealing was wrong (which they already knew) and even showed them pictures of a local jail. The girls said they were sorry, asked for forgiveness, said they would never do it again. Well, two weeks ago they stole close to $300 from Noel and Maria, the couple who takes care of them. Tania had already left the orphanage. It seems she planned on taking the money and then leaving before we found out. Now Fanny is gone, too. It really is an issue, and there have been incidences even more recently. Please pray that God's hand would be upon these girls. Our focus continues to be upon the bakery, the school and the internet cafe. The bakery has had some real successful months, and we even hired another person to help with the load. However, last month was not as profitable, so we are working on figuring out the cause of that. Vanessa continues to be a great worker. The school was recently blessed with a/c units for the classrooms. So now Brian is working on the big construction push that comes with that. We also found some curriculum that we are going to use for the new school year. Our internet cafe continues to flourish. Geovanni is really taking the initiative and promoting the cafe as well as having computer classes. So the last few months have brought many exciting developments. Tracey's Bible study with the girls continues. One of the girls, Genesis, is moving to Costa Rica with her family. Other kids from the church have mentioned that they may be moving to Costa Rica, too. It's sad to see people go, but the reality is that Costa Rica will provide a lot more economic opportunities for them. We just pray that Genesis finds a good church. Otherwise, we are both well. Our health is great, and we are still riding and running. Tracey won the women's category in a bike race the other month. Of course, there were only two other girls who participated, so she hardly feels like a National Champion. Anyway, please pray for continued strength and persistence in ministry, that our health would be strong, for God's protection and above all things that our ministry would be effective for the Lord. April 09 God's Ways Vs. MineIsaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
March got off to a good start with the team from my home church, Calvary Chapel Pasadena. It really was fun. The dental clinic was great, and I was blessed to see the way the dentists wanted to work. We were able to do a lot of outreach and evangelism. While we went to a lot of the regular places like the Peace Park and Manchester, we also did dramas at the Oriental Market. Of course, I liked seeing some familiar faces from CC Pasadena, and I was even a little homesick after the team left. But that went away. I have come to the realization that what I remember as home has changed, it is different, and so am I. When I am homesick, I'm just missing a memory.
There were some changes in our orphanage. Cindy and Jessica both left. I had been tutoring Jessica in Math last year, but she started working during the week and only attending school on Saturday. At first, I was a little disappointed that she wasn't interested in finishing school. At the same time, I knew she was not really interested in learning or studying, and I thought it might just be better for her to get some good work experience. Sometimes the Lord has a different plan for someone, and it's not the path we would have chosen for them. Unfortunately, Jessica's bad attitude continued as well, and she was causing a lot of problems along with her sister, Cindy. They moved out of the orphanage and into the house of a family friend. Jessica has left her job, too. I know they are attending a church but I know their interest in God really is next to nothing. Please pray that they would truly open their hearts to the Lord.
There are a couple of girls in the neighborhood that I have been reaching out to. Diana was here in the beginning of March, and she was here every day when the Pasadena team was here. Unfortunately, after they left, she stopped coming around. I have visited her home, and she has stopped by a few times, but I really do not see her regularly. She is content to not go to school or work, and just drift through life. Another girl is Michalin. Michalin is 14 years old and recently became a single mom. She has a lot of responsibility that she is not taking seriously. Last week, she was talking about checking into Remar (rehab) with her son. But she is not taking any of the steps needed to enter the program. In the meantime, she has not been taking care of the health of her child and the father of her son has been violent towards her. Please pray for Michalin's heart towards God and that she would take her responsiblity as a mom seriously.
It's hard to believe that it has been a year since I came to Nicaragua! I remember when I first came here, feeling very intimidated by the challenges that were ahead of me. God has been so good, and He has given me the faith and the strength to continue to be here. Managua is still my home for now. February 04 Heat of the Battle2 Chronicles 20:15 Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. The month of January was busy but blessed. The Lord navigated us through four different teams that came to evangelize and work. We have all learned a lot from working with the groups, and each group has it's own personality. One of the highlights was a soccer tournament that we had with the kids. There is a field about 30 minutes for us and we were able to rent their facilities for the whole day. The kids were blessed, and I even played a little soccer. Another highlight was that we had a lot of VBSs for the kids. Two of the teams had prepared VBS activities. Also, we were able to go into different neighborhoods and reach out to people who do not attend our church. We went out to a place called the Peace Park a number of times, and the kids have been coming to our Sunday School. One of the kids that really stands out to me is a boy Francisco. He is really excited about coming to church, and has a lively personality. I love seeing him around. Another kid is a girl named Karin. One time when we were at the Peace Park, I saw her throwing rocks at a boy much smaller than her. She was mad at him, so she was getting her revenge. I corrected her and she would not open up to me all afternoon. Now she is coming to Sunday school, and she is all smiles. The Lord brought us through many challenges and battles this month. Ministry is always work, and it takes effort. We all were stretched in terms of me and the other missionaries, Brian and Gabriel. All any of us can really do when we are challenged is humble ourselves before the Lord and just trust Him and His power and strength to guide us and help us.
|
|
|||
|
|
